Our Story
The Global Movement for Cancer Psychosocial Care (GMCPC) was born from a simple but important observation: while remarkable progress has been made in cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship, the psychological, emotional, social, cultural, and spiritual needs of people affected by cancer continue to receive insufficient attention in many parts of the world. For countless patients and families, the cancer journey is shaped not only by the disease itself but also by fear, uncertainty, stigma, financial hardship, disrupted relationships, and the emotional burden of living with or beyond cancer. Yet these experiences are often overlooked within health systems that remain primarily focused on biomedical care.
Although the importance of psychosocial care has been recognised by leading international organisations and professional bodies, access to comprehensive psychosocial services remains uneven across countries and healthcare settings. Many communities, particularly in low and middle income countries, face significant challenges, including limited specialist services, shortages of trained professionals, inadequate policy support, cultural barriers, and unequal access to quality cancer care (Institute of Medicine, 2008; World Health Organization, 2020). These realities call for renewed global collaboration that acknowledges the diverse cultural, social, and economic contexts in which people experience cancer.
GMCPC was established to help address this gap. Rather than functioning solely as another professional association, the movement seeks to unite individuals and institutions around a shared commitment to advancing psychosocial care as an essential component of comprehensive cancer care. It provides a platform for collaboration among healthcare professionals, researchers, educators, patient advocates, survivors, caregivers, policymakers, and organisations working towards the common goal of improving the lives of people affected by cancer through research, education, advocacy, innovation, and capacity building.
Our Journey
Every movement begins with a vision, but its impact is shaped by the people who choose to advance it. GMCPC is at the beginning of a journey that seeks to transform how psychosocial care is understood, delivered, and valued within cancer care systems around the world. We recognise that lasting change cannot be achieved by a single profession, institution, or country. It requires collective leadership, shared learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, and meaningful partnerships that place the experiences and needs of patients and families at the centre of cancer care. Our journey is guided by a commitment to evidence informed practice, cultural responsiveness, equity, compassion, and innovation. We aspire to strengthen research, support education and professional development, encourage knowledge exchange, influence policy, and promote the integration of psychosocial care across the entire cancer continuum, from prevention and early detection to treatment, survivorship, palliative care, and bereavement support. As the movement grows, we invite individuals, institutions, professional societies, universities, healthcare organisations, community groups, survivors, caregivers, and partners from every region of the world to become part of this shared mission. Together, we can help build a future in which psychosocial care is recognised not as an optional addition to cancer services but as a fundamental pillar of quality, person centred cancer care for everyone, everywhere.
